I met Macy Owens at City Park on Saturday March 6^th around noon. It was sunny and there were a lot of people there. I was nervous to be talking to strangers and asking to take their pictures, so I got some beignets to take my mind off of things. I didn’t think about the black t-shirt I was wearing. The day was off to a great start.

I walked around a bit and did some turtle watching, then came across a woman wearing all denim, (bell bottoms!). My gut told me this was the person I needed to speak to. Soon after approaching her, it was clear that she was comfortable talking to me and was intrigued on what I was doing.

What’s your life like now? How did COVID impact it?

Macy: “My life now is boring, mundane, limited, sheltered, and isolated. I've found chaos and peace here in the suburbs, and I worry that I'm getting used to staying inside all the time. I'm not really worried about COVID anymore, I've had it and I survived and if I get it again, not much will change in my life. I'll still just be here in my room doing homework and watching TV. I'm mostly using it as an excuse to not face the outside world anymore. Before all of this, I was out at parties, I lived on campus, I was about to be a working musician in New Orleans. I had a life, I had friends, and I finally had social skills. I thought I was going places. I was even going to change my major to music.”